MUSH

I used to think of myself as a pretty intelligent person.

With little effort, I managed all A's growing up. My studies came easily in college. Amidst marriage and children, I DID graduate.

I am aware now that my days are primarily spent conversing with children under the age of ten. I don't mind that at all. And yes, occasionally, when I'm alone with adults, I accidentally say that I have to go potty vs. use the lavatory. No big deal...I'm a mommy and it's to be expected.

However, every once in a while I am slapped with the reality that my brains have truly turned to MUSH.


That happened this afternoon.


You see, in my little world of cooking, cleaning, changing diapers and raising babies, I am in a bubble. Greg comes home and I talk to him about what color I'd like to stain the deck or how much money I spent on groceries or what kind of socks I bought for so-and-so...
...this is my world. This is what I have to offer when it comes to conversation.

But this afternoon, I had a few minutes to spare, and, feeling a bit disconnected from my husband (we've been extremely busy lately), I decided to go onto HIS blog.
He is the Math Specialist for a local county (what is THAT job? He is basically the resource for all teachers in the county when it comes to math. They go to him for help regarding anything math. He also decides on the county's curriculum, strategy, etc.) And he is required to keep a blog in his techno-savvy county.

So I read a few posts. And, man oh man...let's just say my perception of my intellegence dropped a few levels. A portion of the first sentence I read said, "teaching algorithms in the absence of concept-building-exploratory-type lessons"...HUH?????
THIS is what he spends HIS days thinking and talking about? Oh, Lord...

Yeah, it's just all mush up there...nothing but mush...

We made it!

The first week of school has come and gone. I am happy to say that we survived...quite well, actually. Aside from the clinic aid calling me on two separate days to bring a change of pants for Kaleb (we won't go there...), the first week was a success. I am pleased with their teachers. They are making friends. They are loving it!

And I feel good about our decision not to homeschool this year. Sure, I miss them, but I am embracing the opportunity to spend some extra time with the three little ones, and, of course, to get some extra housework done!

Here they are on the first day.

Ready or not...

It's official...

My two oldest babies will be attending school as of Tuesday.

Real school.

We went to orientation this morning.

Little desks everywhere. New teachers. Computer labs. A big media center. Art classroom. So fun for them. A little scary for me.

It has been such a challenge to homeschool them these past few years. There have been days when I absolutely dreaded starting. There were even days when I got away with putting it off until the afternoon. (You can do that when you work one-on-one with a kid.) I cried several times to Greg about how hard it was. Of the past four years homeschooling Emily (K-3rd grade), I was pregnant for at least a portion of EVERY SINGLE school year.

Man, it was tough!

But it was one of the greatest blessings I've ever known. I got to be the one that experienced their learning. I got to be the one that decided the pace at which they needed to learn. And best of all, I got to be the one that spent all day with them.

They are growing up so fast. I am grateful for every moment I got to spend homeschooling.

And even though a HUGE load is off of my shoulders, I'm really going to miss having them around.

the above pics: top, fall of '07. bottom, June '09.

Not nearly enough time

This Wednesday is Nadia's 8-week birthday. She still seems so new. And yet, at the same time, it's sort of hard to believe our family ever felt complete without her.

My sister's baby Johnathan was 8 weeks old when he passed away. I've been thinking about this a lot the past couple of days. There is so much more to discover about little Nadia. Eight weeks goes by in a flash. My heart hurts for my sister, and for the rest of us, that only had those eight short weeks to get to know him.

Say a prayer for her. Eight weeks is not nearly enough.

(the picture above is of me holding baby Johnathan at 2 1/2 weeks)

No cavities!

I always have six months to prepare myself for the big day and I still fear it just a bit when it gets here. Today, all kids (except baby Nadia, of course) had their dental cleanings. Aside from Avery freaking out and demanding that the hygenist hold her while the doctor checked her teeth, all went well.
I will definitely take advantage of rest time today.

Showers optional

A couple of weekends ago, we braved camping with a newborn. We went with good friends to a nearby lake. It was a quick, one night stay, but it was great. Not nearly as scary as I thought it might be. Nadia slept most of the time, the kids got along great, and Levi only wandered to another family's campsite once. (Okay, that was a little scary!) So great to grow closer to the kids and spend time with friends we love. Good times.

No idea

Okay, so let's review...
I have been married for 10.5 years. Greg and I had every intention of being child-free for the first 4-5 years. During our first year of marriage, we found out that we were pregnant with Emily. Two years later, we had Kaleb. You wouldn't believe how many people said, "Oh, you have a girl and a boy...you're all set!"
But we were pretty sure we wanted another one. It took eight months of trying to get pregnant with Avery. (Weird, when you consider how easily I've gotten pregnant with the other four...but it was definitely God's timing...we wouldn't have moved to Richmond if I got pregnant when I wanted to...)
...Anyway, we figured we'd eventually, not right away, have another baby that could be close in age to Avery (she and Kaleb are over four years apart). However, when she was nine months old, I found out I was pregnant with Levi. I had major anxiety before I gave birth to him. How was I going to manage two children that were 17 months apart? He was definitely to be my last baby.
It was just as scary as I thought it would be. Homeschooling still happened, but barely. Then, when he was five months old, SURPRISE! Another baby...a good surprise, but still, HOLY COW!

So here we are, Nadia is six weeks old (as of tomorrow), Levi is fifteen months old, Avery will be three in a few months, and we've got Kaleb (almost 7) and Emily (9).

Life is an absolute whirlwind...probably exactly what you'd imagine it is.
I have had several moms of 1-2 kids ask, "How do you do it?"

My answer..."I have no idea..."

It's definitely the grace of God. It is a miracle that I get any sleep at all, that my floors have been mopped in the past week, and that my kids are all fed. But thankfully, that's all (sort of) happening.

I never even liked babysitting as a teenager.

But can you imagine the transfer of love that I get to experience on a daily basis?
From the peace of nursing a newborn and her brand-new smiles, to my "big kids" hugging me and thanking me for some surprise, I am blessed. And, at the end of a crazy day, I also get to share life with an amazing husband.

We are in survival mode. It will fly by for that reason. And even though it's nuts and I have no idea how we're doing it, I hope I can embrace as many moments as I can.

I love my babies. ALL of them.